


The Art of Love

by TheBean170



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Fairy Tale-esque ending, Falling In Love, Magic, Romance, living art
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 15:00:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20211679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBean170/pseuds/TheBean170
Summary: Peridot took a job as a museum security guard to simply pay off her college debts.She never expected it to lead to magic, a new kind of painting, and most importantly...Love.





	The Art of Love

**Author's Note:**

> I AM ALIVE!!!!!!
> 
> I know I sorta disappeared for a while (Well, unless you follow my tumblr, which has had a few art updates and text posts) but I needed to take a few moments to reassess myself, my writing style, and what ideas I wanted to pursue in the future. I'm sorry for not being around, but I'm back now and here to stay for the most part!
> 
> Piece it back together will receive more consistent updates, I will be finishing up my two multi-chapter one shots, and if you head over to my tumblr I will have updates on my next big project! Thank you for waiting for me and sticking by my side. 
> 
> I'm back now, and here to stay
> 
> My tumblr: http://thebean170.tumblr.com/

Peridot Greene, like most recently graduated students, needed money.

She was extremely smart, working hard towards a degree in Programming and Technical Studies since she was seven.

She was now 24, a few years out of the education system, and hopelessly in student debt.

She was hoping to land a job in a big tech company somewhere in Empire City, but after not hearing a response, she began looking for other options to satisfy her need for steady income.

Which lead her to Beach City and an extremely cheap apartment where she could hopefully find a stable job.

She still submitted job applications for any tech company in and out of town, no matter how big or how small, but now she was desperate for a job. ANY job.

And that left her with one option.

A strange ad placed in the local paper, for one security guard for the nearby museum.

Or, more specifically, a security guard dedicated completely to only one exhibit of paintings.

She had called ahead of time to ask about requirements, only to find that there were actually very few. The museum was desperate. All other guards had quit after, quote on quote, 'disturbing and unexplainable events.'

Peridot brushed off the comment as nonsense.

She applied for the job, and was accepted the next day.

She was told she would work the night shift. 'Get some sleep, come in early, at around 8, to show you the ropes.' They told her.

Peridot prepared accordingly. She napped through most of the day, with an alarm at 7:00 to give her plenty of time to shower, comb her triangular blonde hair, get dressed, and down an energy drink to make sure she wouldn't fall asleep.

She thought she would be fine. After all, she pulled all nighters before in university with even LESS preparation.

She made her way over the museum on foot, passing by people who had just left the museum.

She overheard bits and pieces of conversation from the people, but they all came back to one specific topic.

A strange painter called.... 'The Unknown Artist?'

Peridot had never heard of such a painter, but then again, she was never one for art and artists. Always thought it a waste of time.

_'Plus, that name sounds somewhat gimmicky.'_ She thought to herself with a smirk.

She entered the museum, which was just beginning to close up. The lights were already shut off and the gift shop near the entrance was being locked up. She made her way towards the person locking up said gift shop.

"Excuse me, I'm here about the Security Guard job, can you direct me to the person in charge? I'm the new employee." She asked.

The person, a janitor by the looks of the trolley next to him, turned around to face Peridot. He was a wrinkly old man with a white, scruffy beard. He smiled at the young adult before pointing towards a door labeled 'Employees Only.'

"Head on through there. Look for a tall lady, blonde hair, in yellow suit. She'll tell you what to do." He directed in a calm voice.

"Thank you." Peridot said. She was about to walk towards the door when the janitor spoke up again.

"A word of advice on your job, kid. The ocean is a wild, playful thing. Keep yer eye on her waves." He said, chuckling to himself slightly.

Peridot stared at the old man with confusion and slight annoyance. "Riiigghht..." She said before quickly making her way toward the door.

_'Jeez, do they really hire anybody here? That clod's ten kinds of crazy.'_ She thought as she entered the restricted section of the museum.

This area was clearly some sort of security booth, with a wall of monitors, a panel of buttons in front of it, along with a line of locker obviously meant for the Security guards.

In the center of the room were two figures. The first was a small, nervous looking man with slightly balding brown hair dressed in a dark blue suit. The second...

Oh stars.

When the old man had said a 'tall lady', he did no justice to the woman in front of Peridot.

While Peridot was by no means tall herself (She was, in fact, slightly below average height), this other woman was a GIANT compared to her. She stood high above both figures in the room, sporting a tidy yellow suit, and holding herself with such an air of authority that it almost made the smaller blonde freeze in place.

Instead of doing that, however, she cleared her throat. "H-Hello, I'm here for the Security job offering." She said, cursing the stutter that snuck into her voice.

Both figures quickly turned and displayed different emotions. The smaller man's face showed relief while the taller blonde's face showed judgment.

They both approached Peridot, the nervous man walking over to shake Peridot's hand. The shorter blonde grimaced at how sweaty those hands were.

"Ah, Ms. Greene! My name is William Dewey, I'm the museum director. I do believe we spoke on the phone." The man explained.

"Ah yes. Of course." Peridot instantly recognized the desperation in his voice.

"And I am Ms. Diamonte, I'm the Delmarva State supervisor of all museum ongoings." The taller blonde said, looking down on Peridot.

"Y-Yes, I see. A pleasure to meet you, madame." The shorter girl said, trying to be courteous.

Unfortunately, the courtesy was lost on the supervisor. "It's Ms. Diamonte. Do not refer to me in any other manner." She said with a slight scowl.

Peridot gulped.

"A-Anyways, we are glad to have you on our security team!" Mr. Dewey said, trying to disrupt the tension. "Ms. Diamonte here will explain to you your duties. I... unfortunately am no longer trusted with that task."

"Follow me, Ms. Greene, and do try to keep up." Ms. Diamonte beckoned.

Peridot nodded and followed after the tall supervisor.

"Your tasks for each night are quite simple. You are to arrive here at exactly 8:30pm and will stay until 7:00am. You _will _not arrive late or leave early. You are to guard specifically the exhibit assigned to you. You are not to leave your post throughout the night. Is that clear?" The tall woman explained, still giving that judgemental look.

"Yes, Ms. Diamonte." Peridot replied, watching as the began nearing the only lit up room left in the museum, positioned in the very back.

"Excellent. Oh, and Ms. Greene?"

The supervisor bent down so she was at Peridot's eye level, giving her an intense and serious stare.

"Do NOT let me catch you sleeping on the job. I expect you to take this completely seriously."

The smaller blonde gulped and nodded.

"Good."

The pair stopped right at the entrance way to the lit up room. Ms. Diamonte turned and looked down at Peridot.

"This is the area where you will be guarding for the majority of the nights. Although it is a small room, get acquainted with the area in and around it. I will return in a moment with paperwork." The supervisor said, turning and walking back to the Security booth.

Peridot watched as the woman disappeared out of sight before letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She turned around and faced the exhibit, noticing an informative plaque at the entrance. She decided to stop and read it for a second.

'Might as well know what I'll be guarding for now.' She thought as she began to read.

_THE UNKNOWN ARTIST_

_'Ah, so this is the famous 'Unknown' artisan.'_

The blonde kept reading.

_Unironically, very little is known about The Unknown Artist._

_The name itself comes from four extremely unique paintings of subjects, all special and somewhat otherworldly in nature. All four were signed with a quick sigil of a pink rose._

_No names. No dates. Only a sigil and the names of the painting._

_That sigil became known as The Unknown Artist's signature._

And then Peridot stopped reading.

"Ugh, really? 'Otherworldly in nature?' This is a tourist trap if I've ever seen one..." Peridot said to herself, scoffing at what seemed to be an extremely gimmicky exhibit.

The shorter blonde decided to take a look at these supposedly 'Unique Paintings.'

"They can't be more the crayon drawings hung up on a fridge. What a bunch of bwuaaahhhh..."

Peridot was left with a gaping mouth and a wide eyed stare as she looked on these four paintings displayed.

They truly were extraordinary. The paintings before the blonde were nothing like any paintings she had ever seen before. They were all created with such care, such precision, that even a technical nerd like Peridot couldn't help but stare on in awe.

There were four paintings in total, three of them the same size and one of the larger than the rest.

The first small painting was depicted a beautiful ballerina, pointed hair the color of strawberries, poised on stage in the middle of a performance. The painting was so majestic, portraying the dancer in such a way that it seems like the ballerina was dancing in the painting itself. The architecture in the background seemed Russian in style, so Peridot could only assume that the main subject was as well.

The second small painting depicted a shorter angel, dressed in white robes rising above a dark gray canyon. The sky above glowed with bright and vibrant colors, highlighting the angel's flowing yet strangely colored violet hair. The combination of colors and scenery made it seem like the angel really was floating high above, divine in its nature. This painting seemed more like a Renaissance creation, confusing Peridot as to the origin of the artisan creating these.

The third and final small painting depicted a sort of royalty figure on a balcony overlooking a Paris backdrop. Her hair was an almost light blue color, dressed in elegant clothing fit for the finest queen. In her hands is a small child with large brown hair, a strange birthmark appearing on its forehead while wrapped in a white blanket. The main figure only had one eye showing, the other covered by hair, but her gaze and calming smile made Peridot feel almost at complete peace. Yet, the style almost made it seem like a Van Gogh, which was odd because Peridot had never seen a Van Gogh like this before, further mystifying the poor nerd.

These three paintings may have been the most amazing and well painted portraits the short blonde had ever seen. But the last portrait, the largest of the four, took Peridot's breath away.

The figure depicted in the final large painting was dressed in white garments that seem to flow with the wind, seeming to be rising out of the ocean.

The figure seemed to be a young woman, however she is painted with long, flowing brushstrokes in varying shades of blue. The figure stood out from all the other figures as she didn't seem to be painted with realism, but rather with emotion. The brushstrokes clearly depicted the woman's figure, face, and hair, but the way it was painted made it seem that this woman's figure is flowing, moving like the waves of the sea, her hair a messy style that only accentuates the wild emotion displayed. Yet, despite all the untamed emotion in the figure and the background, the figure's face displayed serene yet somber calm.

Not only was that the most beautiful painting she had ever seen, but Peridot thought that the figure was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen as well.

"Oh my stars..." She muttered, stars in her eyes.

She could do nothing more than stare at this beautiful and majestic portrait, up until she heard the clearing of a throat and her name being called from behind her.

"Ms. Greene? If you are finished gawking at the artwork I would very much like to get this over and done with." The supervisor said from behind.

Peridot turned around and flushed a deep red at being caught looking at the paintings. Even though hundreds probably did the same thing each day, the shorter blonde felt a bit of shame considering how she held herself.

She walked over to the much taller woman and took the papers she was holding in her hand. Looking them over, they seemed to be conditions and contracts for her job occupation.

"Got a pen?" Peridot asked.

Me. Diamonte let out a huff as she dug through her pockets. After a second, she pulled out a black pen and handed it to the smaller woman.

Peridot quickly filled out the forms in her hand before handing them back to the supervisor. Said supervisor looked over the papers to make sure everything was in order.

"Excellent. I leave you to your shift. Report anything suspicious or criminal in nature. Your uniform and other equipment are in the lockers you saw in the Security booth." She explained. "Goodnight, Ms. G-"

"Actually," Peridot said, accidentally interrupting the other woman, "I have two quick questions if you don't mind."

"Ugh, make them quick."

"Yes, I'll try. One, why am I not allowed to use the Security cameras in the front booth? And also, what is someone so important as the Delmarva State supervisor doing all the way down in some small town museum?" Peridot asked with a nervous smile.

"Hmm. The Security booth is unusable at night due to an error in the electrical grid we have yet to identify. And, if you must know, I have been assigned to look over this museum's finances and operations after the events that have transpired recently. They've burnt through twenty six night guards in this month alone." Ms. Diamonte explained, seemingly bored with the whole ordeal.

"T-Twenty six?" Peridot stuttered, incredulous as to why so many guards had left the position.

"Yes, and I do hope I won't have to hire number twenty seven tomorrow. Will that be all?"

The smaller blonde forced down her confusion. "Yes, Ms. Diamonte." She said.

"Good. Please start on you duties immediately." And with that, the supervisor made her way towards the front of the museum, disappearing from Peridot's sightline.

The new security guard let out a sigh of relief. "That woman is a whole new level of intimidating..." She muttered before turning back around to the lit up exhibit.

She walked back inside it for a moment, still staring at the paintings placed inside it. She took a moment to look over the names of each individual painting name.

'The Pearl of the Sky Theater' was the name for the ballerina painting.

'The Guardian of the Canyon' was the name of the angel painting.

'The Sapphire Oracle' was the name of the Van Gogh look alike.

And, finally...

Peridot once again found herself staring in awe at the last, larger painting in the exhibit. She only briefly took her eyes of it to read the name.

'The Ocean.'

So simple, yet somehow fitting.

Peridot was never one to believe in love. She never focused on such things throughout her life, and never really felt anything towards others.

Yet now, staring at this beautiful painting, she somehow felt disheartened and slight angry she would never be able to meet this serene yet mysterious woman in the real world.

"You're so pretty..." She muttered to the portrait without even thinking.

Suddenly, embarrassment and shame filled Peridot to her very core. What was she even doing? Talking to paintings and calling them pretty? She was above such things. At least, that's what she told herself as she giant tore her eyes away.

_'Besides, I have a job to do. I can't spend the entire night staring at paint.'_ She thought to herself as she walked back to the Security booth.

Unbeknownst to her, a pair of eyes followed Peridot as she left the exhibit room.

Eyes blue like the ocean.

《○●○》

Peridot grumbled to herself as she finally managed to change into the Security uniform provided to her. It was itchy, uncomfortable, and kinda ugly. Peridot hated it to her core.

She picked up a flashlight that was placed in her locker, as well as a small walkie talkie. She rolled her eyes at that last object. She was the only person left in the museum to her knowledge.

Before leaving the booth, the small blonde decided to try and work the Security cameras in the back room to see if she could make her job easier but, true to the supervisor's word, literally all the cameras but the ones she actually _needed_ to monitor the exhibit seemed to work.

She decided to plug her phone to a nearby outlet before walking back over to her assigned exhibit. But, before she could even get her phone cord out, she heard something.

It sounded like footsteps, followed by... giggling?

Peridot froze up. Was there somebody else in the museum? She wasn't told there was.

_'Oh Stars, what if it's an art thief?!? Some sort of criminal that's snuck into here?!?'_ She thought, panicking and fearing not only her employment, but also her life. _'What were art thieves capable of? MURDER?!?'_

Turning around, the short blonde decided she would need to confirm her fears before doing anything else in response. She turned on her flashlight and made her way down the museum passageways.

"H-Hello? Is there anyone there? The museum is closed, you are c-currently trespassing!" She stuttered, trying, and failing, to keep her voice steady.

_'Oh stars, why on my first day? Why me? Couldn't they have stolen something when the other twenty six guards were here?'_

As she got closer and closer to the lit up room, the giggling and footsteps seem to move away, as if the perpetrator was making a getaway, something which Peridot secretly hoped for so she wouldn't have to deal with the possible criminal.

The blonde finally got almost right next to the entrance, only a cornerturn away from entering the exhibit. The flashlight shook in her hand as she gulped nervously. She managed as much bravery left in her before taking a deep breath and turning the corner.

There was...

Oh no.

There was something very clearly wrong with the exhibit. More specifically, there was something wrong with 'The Ocean.'

Because the figure in the painting was missing completely.

It was like the figure was never painted into the portrait. The background was still there, looking exactly as it did when Peridot first saw it, but the figure seemingly disappeared from the painting.

Peridot stood in the doorway, gawking at the complete disappearance of the character from their own painting. Her brain tried to plug in some sort of reasonable explanation that would make sense to her panicking being, but the conclusion just incremented that panic.

_'This... T-This must be a replacement painting. That's the only reasonable explanation. A really bad and really odd replacement. Which... W-Which means...'_

Peridot's entire face paled as her hands shook even more.

"No... Nononono! I can't have had a painting stolen on my first day! I need this job!" Peridot cried out to herself, her free hand going up to grab at her hair. "Oh stars, why did it have to be the one exhibit I'm guarding that had to be stolen from!"

Peridot quickly took a few steps forward to try and get a closer look, but her foot slipped on something wet, causing her to flail her arms in an attempt to keep her balance. She finally managed to stabilize herself, letting out a breath.

"What on earth did I slip on?" The blonde muttered, looking down to the floor.

It was... paint?

Peridot bent down and swiped a finger across the liquid and felt it between two fingertips

Yep, that was definitely it. A mixture of blue paint laid upon the ground, in the shape of what seemed like footsteps, leading away from the large (now empty) painting.

"F-Footprints? And they're fresh... Which could mean that the original painting may still be... in the museum!" Peridot shouted, leaping to her feet and turning around. Shining her light on the floor, she could see that the blue paint footprints lead out into the darkened building.

The short security guard followed the footsteps out, trying to find the perpetrator.

_'But, why would an art thief rob a local art legend barefoot? Wouldn't they want to make sure they couldn't be followed?'_ Peridot thought to herself, trying to keep her hands and nerves steady.

The giggling and footsteps from before seemed to get louder and closer as Peridot followed the footprints towards what seemed to be another exhibit. The title of the room was 'Still Life and other classical art pieces.'

Peridot took a deep breath and walked into the room.

Her flashlight was still on the floor, slowly trailing the footsteps towards the far end wall of the room.

"I have you cornered, thief! Return the painting now or I w-will call the authorities!" The blonde yelled towards the darkness.

The giggling stopped, and instead replaced a few quick footsteps, as if someone were turning around.

_'Pleasedon'thaveagunpleasedon'thaveagun...'_

Peridot's flashlight beam finally reached the far end wall. The figure was fully illuminated.

Except... it wasn't a thief.

It was a strange figure, dressed in white garments. She had a mop of messy hair, lithe figure and eyes that were blue like the ocean. The figure held a small smile as she looked back at Peridot.

Oh, and she was also seemingly made of different shades of blue paint.

That would be an important detail to point out.

Peridot's eyes went wide as she took in the person in front of her.

It was definitely recognizable. That was her. The figure from 'The Ocean.'

The paint around her seemed to move and flow, yet some dripped off of her onto the floor. It was almost as if the figure herself had leapt off of the canvas, still wet as if she was only recently painted.

"Oh, hello! It's nice to finally talk to you!" The figure exclaimed.

"Y-You... Y-You're made..." Peridot stuttered, backpedaling slightly.

"Now, listen. I know what it looks like, but it's actually not as strange as it looks!!" The figure said, holding out her hands to try and calm the blonde.

"You're m-made of p-p-p..."

"Just stay calm for me, okay? Give me a moment to explain it all."

"P-P-Paint..." The blonde muttered, not really paying attention to what the figure was saying.

Peridot's legs felt far too wobbly.

Her vision seemed to get darker and darker.

And just like that, as the flashlight slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor, Peridot slipped into unconsciousness. Her back hit the floor as she fell backwards.

《○●○》

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Peridot was awoken slightly by what felt like liquid on her face. It didn't feel like water. The liquid was too dense to be water. It had to be something different.

A voice, seemingly distant, reached the blonde's ears.

"....orry....lease wak...." It said, fading in and out as Peridot tried to refocus.

She struggled a little to get her eyes open, but they still cried out to stay closed for some unknown reason. She couldn't actually quite remember how she passed out.

She was... working. At the local art museum.

She had seen something... and went to investigate.

Everything was real fuzzy after that.

The distant voice got clearer. The blonde also noticed she was being shaken slightly by something.... Or someone.

"Please... Didn't mean to..." Peridot was starting to make out more and more what the voice was saying.

Her eyes finally relented, and they fluttered open slightly.

Her vision, still blurry and unfocused, provided Peridot with the image of somebody leaning over her. The facial features were hard to make out, but there was an awful lot of blue.

Periot tried to refocus her vision. The voice was much clearer now.

"Oh, thank god! I thought you had died!" The voice said, now properly connected to the figure.

The blonde groaned, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment to refocus, before opening them again.

"Wha..."

That was odd.

The figure almost looked like she was made of...

"PAINT!" Peridot shouted, quickly pushing away and rising up, baking away towards the far wall behind her.

Now she could remember why she had fainted.

The figure rose to their feet, their face still hidden from the darkness of the room.

"Hey, calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you." The figure said, her voice trying to sound calming.

Peridot's mind was in a storm. Here she was, talking with what seemed to be a living, sentient form of paint in the middle of a museum after previously holding the very common and reasonable belief that paint doesn't move, talk, or (simply put) live.

"T-This can't be happening. I can't be t-t-talking with you. It isn't possible!" The blonde croaked out, her legs still shaking and her head threatening to plunge her back into the realm of faint.

The figure bent down to pick up the discarded flashlight, still lit up and pointing to an empty patch of wall. She moved towards Peridot before holding it out in front of her.

"Here, you dropped this." She said.

Peridot's eyes shifted back and forth between the flashlight and the figure in the dark, trying to decide whether or not it was safe to grab the piece of technology. She eventually relented and, with shaky hands, quickly snatched the flashlight out of the other's hand.

The blonde felt her body shiver as her hand came in contact with a bit of liquid on the flashlight. It almost felt the same as the liquid she felt on her head.

"P-Please... I don't k-know what you are but... Please don't h-hurt me." Peridot begged, shining the flashlight away from the hidden figure.

A noise of confusion could be heard in the darkness. "Hurt you? I don't wanna hurt you, I just wanna talk." The figure said.

"T-Talk?"

"Yeah. I think we might've gotten off on the wrong foot."

Peridot gulped before moving the flashlight to light up the figure's face. The other's eyes squinted slightly due to the bright light.

"Gah, that's bright! Here, gimmie a sec. I'll turn the lights on." The other said, moving away from the light beam and towards some unseen location in the dark.

Suddenly, the room lit up in bright, fluorescent light. Peridot had to squint her own eyes for a brief second in order to readjust.

She turned to her right where the entrance to this section of the museum and finally got a full view of the figure she had been talking with.

It was truly like the painting in the other room had come to life. The figure was still a combination of serene beauty and distant mystery, but now the brush strokes that once comprised the painting were now actually flowing across the figure's body.

This time, however, there wasn't a calm and distant expression on her face. No, now there was a bright smile and a new liveliness behind her eyes.

"There we go! That's much better. Here, let's sit down and talk." She said, crossing her legs and sitting down on the floor.

Peridot shifted a bit before slowly walking over and copying the other's movement, sitting directly across from her.

_'This has to be some sort of hallucination. Or maybe a fever dream. This can't be real...'_

"So... Let's start from the begining. Hello there, my name's Lapis Lazuli, but you can call me Lapis! What's your name?" The figure said, holding out her hand to gesture a handshake.

_'Lapis... That's actually a nice name.'_

"M-My name's Peridot Greene. But, you can call me P-Peridot." The blonde said, taking the gesture and shaking Lapis' hand. She shivered again. It felt like grabbing wet paint.

_'I guess, in a sense, it kinda is...'_

_'Oh stars, this can't really be happening, right?'_

"Oh, Peridot! That's a nice name! It's nice to meet somebody who also has a gem name!" Lapis said, her smile growing wider a tiny bit. "I, uh... suppose you may have some questions about me, huh?"

"Yeah... Wait, actually yes! I do have quite a bit of q-questions! What are you? How do you even exist? What are you made of? Where did you come from? Is this some sort of supernatural occurrence?" Peridot exclaimed, rambling off tons of questions.

"Woah, Woah, slow down there, Peridot! One question at a time." Lapis interrupted.

"Oh, r-right. Well for starters, what are you?"

"Well, can't you tell, Peridot?" Lapis said, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes. "I'm a pretty lady. Isn't that what you called me, after all?"

Peridot looked at Lapis confused for a second before it clicked in her head. At that moment, her entire face lit up in a fire red blush. "O-O-Oh stars, did you hear all that? I am so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Lapis let out a small giggle. "Its fine, Peri. After all, I'm glad that compliment came from such an adorable little night guard~"

The blush, surprisingly, grew even deeper at both the compliment and the nickname given to the blonde.

"T-That isn't exactly w-what I meant by my question..." Peridot managed to force out.

"Yeah, I figured. To be fair, you are the first one to actually stop and ask me stuff instead of, you know, running away."

_'Running away is still very much on the table. I'm still, after all, talking with a woman made of PAINT.'_

"So... I'm pretty simple to understand. I'm made of paint. I can move, talk, and do all sorts of stuff paint normally can't do."

"How?"

Lapis glanced off slightly, letting out a small sound. "That one is a bit harder to explain. So much so that I can't even explain it. Just chalk it up to... an artistic style."

"Oh... that doesn't really explain much."

They both stayed in silence for a while. Peridot merely glanced at Lapis every so often while she tried to wrap her head around what was happening. Lapis, however, kept on staring at Peridot with a smirk, half lifted eyes, and something indescribable behind it all.

"S-So..." Peridot finally spoke up. "How long have you been like this? As a painting?"

"Mmm.... About 14 years, give or take. I was one of the last ones Rose painted." Lapis responded.

Peridot looked confused. "Rose?"

Lapis' eyebrows shot up in realization. "Oh yeah! You guys never did figure out her name, did you? Rose Quartz was the one who painted me and my friends!"

"Wait, the Unknown Artist's name is Rose Quartz? Well... that's quite the name." Peridot said, before it hit her. "Wait, friends? Do you mean the other paintings? Are they alive too?"

"Yep, but they like to keep to their canvases. Well, Amethyst used to come out with me, but Pearl got on her case and she stopped."

"...Pearl? Amethyst?"

Peridot was still very much confused.

"Actually... you can meet them later. I think you should catch a quick break. Besides, I want to keep you all to myself for tonight~"

The blonde flushed once again as she decided to let her eyes wander away from Lapis for a brief moment (She would never admit it, but she had been staring a bit intently at Lapis' face.)

This proved to be a mistake, however, as her eyes fell on the walls were the paintings in this section of the museum were being held.

And she screamed.

Peridot shot to her feet and quickly rushed over to the paintings. "Oh stars, what happened here?!"

The Still Life paintings had been... shall we say, redecorated. They had been covered in blue paint of varying hues, adding on different things like shapes, words, or even simply covering up half the painting in random splatters.

Lapis walked up next to the troubled blonde. "Oh, you like? I think they're much better like this. Paintings these days are so boring." She said with pride as she looked at her 'improvements.'

Peridot's head snapped to face Lapis. "Wha... You did this?! Lapis, you've just vandalized priceless paintings! I..." Her face paled as she realized the implications. "I'm going to lose my job over this. I'm going to be sued over this..."

Lapis, however, simply snickered. "Relax, Peri. The paint isn't permanent. Though, I think these changes make the painting look much better."

"Not... Permanent?"

"Yeah, its special paint. Only I get to decide whether or not it stays. Otherwise, it disappears by the time the museum opens."

Peridot let out a sigh of relief after hearing the vandalization wasn't actually permanent. But, now she had more questions.

"Wait, so your form doesn't actually function as normal paint?" She asked

"Mmmm. Kinda? I can control whether or not it stains or not. For example..."

Lapis pressed her hand in the middle of Peridot's chest while getting closer to the blonde. Peridot could feel strange emotions she had never felt before shoot through her body at seeing Lapis' face so close to hers.

_'Oh stars, why is she so close?'_

Lapis then pulled away and signaled the blonde to look down. She did just that, and noticed a wet handprint made of paint staining her security guard uniform.

"That's not gonna stain. It'll just stay there for a while before sorta... disappearing. However, this..."

Lapis then closed her eyes, humming a soft tune Peridot didn't recognize. She then pressed a finger to the tip of the blonde's nose, causing her face to scrunch up slightly.

"That's gonna stick around for quite a long time. Not even water'll make that one go away."

Peridot raised her hand to her nose to check the spot. Sure enough, the paint felt different. It felt like it had already dried, yet didn't feel like normal dried paint. It felt... special.

"Wow, that's incredible." Peridot said, the last pangs of panic and fear leaving her body. She then opened her mouth without thinking. "You're incredible..." She said, softer than before.

Portions of paint near Lapis' cheeks seemed to darken in hue while she gave a sly, little smile. "Well, aren't you the smooth talker?" She teased.

"Uh, s-sorry."

"Don't be. I still wanna keep talking to you. Wanna go sit down again?"

"Okay. I mean, yes. Sure."

And so, Peridot followed Lapis over to the spot where they were sitting before, truly interested and curious as to who this strange yet otherworldly person really was.

And so, they talked. Peridot shared some of her experiences before getting this job, what she wanted to do in life, who friends were (She didn't have many.) Lapis shared what it's like being a living painting, her favorite things to do in the museum, and some of the best reactions she got from the other 26 security guards seeing her for the first time (25 of them ran out. The twenty sixth came back one more night with paint thinner, and then ran out again).

Peridot found out that Lapis was quite the flirt, much to her (not really) dismay. She would constantly compliment, tease, and talk up the small blonde. It would make Peridot blush, squirm, and fill her with that strange feeling she had felt before.

... She kinda liked it. It made her feel special to be flirted with someone she still considered to be breathtaking.

Though, as the nighttime soon bled into the first light of dawn, Peridot was hit with a wave of tiredness.

"Woah..." She said while leaning back and forth for a second after the sudden loss of energy, interrupting Lapis who was in the middle of talking.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah, I just feel... REALLY tired for some reason. Nothing to worry about." Peridot responded, letting a small chuckle at the end to dispel any panic.

However, the smile on the paint figure's face disappeared and was replaced with a disappointed frown upon hearing this.

"Oh... I guess it's already time." She said solemnly, rising to her feet.

"Time for what?" Peridot asked, yawning at the end. 'Why am I so tired? It feels like I haven't slept in years.'

"It really was nice talking to you. I really hope you keep the job. It would be a shame if this was the last time we get to hang out." Lapis said, not explaining what she meant. The paint figure made her way to the entranceway.

Peridot tried to get up to follow after her, but she felt as if she didn't even have enough energy to move a finger. Her eyes were so heavy at that point, she just wanted to slip into sleep.

"Have a nice nap, Peri. Hope I see you tomorrow night." Lapis said, turning the corner and walking out of sight.

Peridot could fight the tired no more, and let herself fall asleep.

《○●○》

"...eene."  
  


"M...eene."

"MS. GREENE!"

The blonde's eyes shot open upon hearing her name being shouted to her by a distinctly intimidating voice. She blinked the sleep from her eyes as she finally realized who was in front of her.

"Ms. Diamonte! I, uh... what're you doing here?" Peridot asked nervously, quickly rising to her feet and fixing the glasses on her face.

"Ms. Greene, I am here to open the museum for the day. I arrived expecting to find a diligent security guard, but instead I found you sleeping on the job!" The supervisor yelled, a scowl on her face.

The smaller blonde's face paled. "M-Ms. Diamonte, I swear I didn't m-mean to!" She begged, desperate not to lose her job.

"That's no excuse! Your obligations entail not fall-"

"Ms. Diamonte, please g-go easy on her. Its her first night, that's always the hardest on night shift workers." Mr. Dewey said, coming up from behind Ms. Diamonte while holding a ring of keys.

The supervisor immediately turned around to face the smaller man. "Do not patronize me, Mr. Dewey. Any worker should come prepared to meet the requirements of their job. No exceptions!" She said, talking down to him.

"M-Ms. Diamonte, we can't afford to fire another worker. We're running out of willing acceptees."

Ms. Diamonte huffed before finally turning back around to Peridot.

"Do NOT let this happen again." She barked.

Peridot quickly nodded. "O-Of course, Ms. Diamonte! I'll come prepared next time."

"Very well. Now, let's make sure that you haven't let the exhibit you were SUPPOSED to guard fall into disarray." The supervisor said, leaving the exhibit room she was currently and making her way towards the special exhibit.

Suddenly, Peridot remembered what she had seen last night (or rather who she had seen), and started to panic. "W-Wait, Ms. Diamonte!" She yelled, running after the taller woman.

She ran out of the exhibit room past Mr. Dewey towards the 'Unknown Artist' exhibit. However, by the time she caught up, Ms. Diamonte was already in the doorway, looking into the room.

_'Oh stars, I really hope she doesn't notice the COMPLETELY CHANGED PAINTING!!'_ Peridot screamed internally.

"M-Ms. Diamonte, I can explain!" She exclaimed, not actually gazing at the paintings.

"Explain what?" The supervisor asked.

"The, uh..." Peridot started to say, turing to see the painting she was worried about.

But... the painting was completely normal.

Lapis was back in the painting, in the same position she had been first seen in, with the exact same expression on her face like before.

"T-The, uh... The painting, i-it..." Peridot tried to say, shocked that the painting was right as it used to be.

"Yes, what about the painting?" Ms. Diamonte asked, arching an eyebrow in suspicion.

"T-The paintings... was dusty! That's why it looks a bit different! If y-you notice anything, that is." Peridot quickly said.

Ms. Diamonte kept her look of suspicion as she looked back at the painting, squinting her eyes.

"I don't see any dust." She said.

"O-Oh, well guess I must've been seeing things."

"Hmm."

Peridot was the most confused she had ever been in her life at that moment. _'Did I just imagine what happened last night? Did I fall asleep without noticing it? Was... Was it all fake?'_

Ms. Diamonte turned to face Peridot properly this time. "Very well, Ms. Greene. Your shift is over. Please return your gear and return home to prepare for your next shift tonight. And please pre... Prepare pro... what on earth is on your nose?"

The supervisor pointed to Peridot's nose with a confused look on her face.

"What's wrong with it?" The shorter blonde asked, raising her hand to touch her face.

"There seems to be some kind of paint on it..." Ms. Diamonte said, leaning over to look closer.

_'Paint? But I didn't touch any paint. Unless...'_

_'Lapis was real then! She did move last night!'_

"Uh, it's my makeup! I smudged it before I showed up yesterday and didn't have enough time to wash it off!" Peridot quickly lied.

"Huh. There's no other makeup on your face... Nevermind then, please return your uniform and head home, Ms. Greene." The supervisor said, brushing off her suspicions.

Peridot let out a sigh of relief and turned to quickly make her way to the security booth. She quickly kicked off her uniform before noticing the paint on it also disappeared.

"She was right... That paint really is magic." She muttered to herself.

The small blonde quickly gathered her things and made her way out of the museum, her eyes squinting at the rising sun hitting her face.

_'That was the weirdest, most otherworldly experience I've ever lived through in my entire life!'_ She thought to herself, walking back to her home. _'I still have so many questions: Are all paintings magical like that? Who were those other people Lapis was talking about? Should I go back tonight?'_

That last question made Peridot stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

_'S...Should I go back? To have to deal with that level of strangeness not only tonight, but every night? To have to deal with Lapis' shenanigans every night? To have to deal... with Lapis?'_

That thought made Peridot twist on the spot.

_'It isn't... dealing with Lapis. She was fun to hang out with. She was a nice person to talk to, she made for nice company during my shift. She isn't a problem, she's an amazing person!'_

A smile appeared on the blonde's face. _'I will come back tonight. I will go back and do my shift tonight! If only to understand Lapis' nature more.'_

_'That... and to talk to Lapis again.'_

With that thought and a new sense of motivation, Peridot practically skipped home to better prepare for her shift tonight.

Maybe down more than one energy drink this time.


End file.
